RON MOORE, SR.

Friends,

This month we celebrate Mother's Day, founded by Anna Jarvis in 1914. (click links for more information). It's a special time to honor and remember our own mothers for their love and care for us. Other than Christmas, it is one of the highest celebrated holidays in America. Total Mother's Day spending was expected to climb 9.5 percent in 2005 to $11.43 billion, up from $10.43 billion in 2004. In 2005, 83 percent of U.S. consumers planned to celebrate Mother's Day, slightly more than the previous year's 81.8 percent.

Sadly, not all children have fond affections for their mothers. With the financial stresses and strains of our society, the near epidemic rise of single mothers, and the severe break down of family values, motherhood is viewed at times, in an unfavorable light. The honor and respect intended for motherhood over 90 years ago has been reduced to commercialism and an opportunity to boost retail bottom lines.

Those of us who know the worth of motherhood should extend those values to others who may not. We need to return to the biblical teaching of Paul who said in I Timothy 5:1-2, "Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need."

Let us remember the mother/child relationship that we've shared with those Godly mothers. In spite of difficult times they remained faithful to the task of raising their children to be productive citizens of society. When we look for gifts to give during Mothers' Day keep the perspective that it's not the price of the gift but rather the cost of the relationship that counts. Let's celebrate not just Mother's Day, but motherhood as well.

Let's not just be influenced by a materialistic society but rather shaped and guided by the word of God where it is written, “Mankind does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

-Stay Spiritual

Ron Moore, Sr., President
The ALPHA Center, Inc.